


Politically Savvy

by dameneptune



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ben is actually good at his job, Ben's in love with everyone, but not very good at other people's emotions, everyone's in love with ben
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:14:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23474473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dameneptune/pseuds/dameneptune
Summary: Ben of Auradon has some major problems.His ex-best friend is disappearing all over the place.He may or may not have accidentally become a member of Uma's crew.He's going to be crowned King in four months.And oh, yeah. There's the small matter of the Rotten Four arriving and the freedom of an entire Isle.
Relationships: Ben/Chad Charming, Ben/Gil (Disney: Descendants), Ben/Harry Hook, Doug/Evie (Disney: Descendants), Evie/Jay/Mal/Carlos de Vil, Gil/Harry Hook/Uma
Comments: 14
Kudos: 107





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This idea gripped me by the throat and wouldn't let go. 
> 
> Massive massive thank you to my beta LittleBlueLantern! I love you!

So here’s the thing about your parents famous love story being predicated on the fact that your dad got himself and his entire kingdom cursed because he was kind of a ding dong to an elderly woman when he was twelve. 

It instils in you a certain set of values. The first is to always be generous. Be polite and kind and give everything you have - whether it be time or advice or money or your ear - to everyone around you. Don’t be an idiot around strangers, because you never know if that stranger is an insanely magical fae looking to teach idiots a lesson. The second is to always be afraid. The witch who cursed his father is still out there and his dad is still facing the political consequences of the king of Auradon going missing and the massive power vacuum that occurred in his absence. But, since it all technically worked out, she was never tracked down and handed over to the proper authorities for invasive and dangerous use of magic. 

So the witch is still out there, apparently. Much to the detriment of Ben’s mental health, when the anxiety gets really bad and he pictures Ms Potts and Lumiere and Coggsworth cursed once again, just because he lost his temper when Audrey pulled his hair and made him beast out a little bit on the playground. Which is lesson number three - magic doesn’t always end with true love's first kiss, and Ben will never - can never - afford to be angry. 

Oh, and also don’t think about how your dad kind of kept your mom prisoner for the better part of their courtship because it’s romantic and not actually incredibly disturbing if you think about it for longer than oh, ten seconds. His mom and dad are in real proper true love, and he loves his parents more than anything, and he understands that his father was in a really dark place when it happened, but it does kind of illuminate the fact that good people can do really bogus stuff. 

Speaking of bogus stuff, here’s what Ben realizes when he’s twelve. 

Someday sooner than he’d like, he is going to be King of Auradon. This is kind of cool but mainly insanely stressful. Unlike Chad or Audrey, Ben’s kingdom is the largest unifying factor in the pact made between the kingdoms during the time of evil's exile, which means that not only does his own people look up to him, but the other royal children do as well. Which means that Ben doesn’t have friends now, not since Audrey figured out that he was the best chance for her to make her grandmother proud and started pushing for a marriage alliance between them. Which then made all the other children - no doubt prompted in part by their parents - also try for a bid at his affection. So Ben decides to affect a policy of aloof politeness above all else. He’s friends with everyone and no one to make sure no kingdom feels they have more of his ear than the others. (Well, except for Chad, but Chad is an entirely separate problem in his own right.)  
Speaking of the looking after his people thing, a large number of his citizens are currently trapped on an island surrounded by a magical barrier living under honestly inhumane circumstances. As far as Ben can tell, since his tutors are self-righteous about the whole matter to a frankly disturbing degree, folks are piled up around each other with little in the way of social infrastructure other than power grabs made between the villains, let alone basic necessities like fresh food, education or reliable health care.  
It seems like kind of the biggest ding dong move in the world to trap innocent children there with their parents - who, regardless of how Ben feels about their ultimate punishment, did commit incredibly serious crimes. If people like King Aladdin and King Eugene are looked up to for changing their ways and becoming good people, why are the children of villains not afforded the same courtesy? It’s not like being trapped on an island with their parents is going to instill any kind of softness in their hearts towards the people of Auradon. Ben’s heard about what Lady Tremaine did to Anastasia, her own flesh and blood. He highly doubts that she’d be any kinder to her rumored granddaughter. It goes beyond unfair - it’s a frankly criminal act made by the ruling classes of the kingdoms, and one Ben intends to rectify. 

At the core of his being, Ben knows what his purpose is. He loves his kingdom and his people and he will do right by them, no matter what the cost. 

\--

Three years later finds Ben bent over his desk, eyes tired and strained from hours of sifting through reports. The past nine months have been spent bribing isle guards and supply workers, piecing together scant profiles on the children of villains. Rough sketches of faces Ben would hopefully know someday, now just vague images representative of the massive task ahead of him. It’s overwhelming, the papers stacked in precarious piles around his office. 

He sighed and stepped away from his paperwork, turning to the massive window that overlooked the sea. From here the isle was a mass of lights flickering in the distance. Ben pressed his fingers to his nose and tried to focus. 

There were simply too many of them. 

All of these children deserve to get off the island, but there’s no way the council would ever agree to that. Just the thought of the ruckus the kingdoms would kick up gave Ben the beginnings of a tension headache. As much as he’d like to simply wave a hand and release those trapped on the isle, he needed to proceed slowly and carefully. The idea had occurred around a year ago - give the people of Auradon an example. A test run. He would use the event of his coronation to convince his parents to give the trial a chance. Change was slow, and frustrating in the extreme. Perhaps it would have been different had if he had an ally in his own court. Alas, Ben found himself working in secret. There was no way he could approach one of the royal advisors - they’d tattle to his parents immediately. In the same way he couldn’t trust that one of his classmates would tell their parents, who would then tell his parents. As long as no one knew what he was planning, he could continue with relatively minor setbacks. 

Still, it would be nice to have someone he could bounce ideas off. It was difficult to ascertain how successful his policies would be without appropriate feedback. 

It also wasn’t that Ben was alone. After all, with the exception of these scant few midnight hours, he was always surrounded by people. Sometimes he just missed - 

Whatever. Back to the task at hand. 

How was he supposed to choose his champions?

He needed the children of villains who could prove they weren’t defined by their parents. Children who could be tasked with the burden of leading the way for others. They would need to already be leaders in their own right. They’d also, unfortunately, need to be the children of villains, not hench people or others caught up in the mass exiling. You’d think this would narrow down the playing field, but it seemed the isle was caught in a series of turf battles between rival factions. 

The isle…

Maybe the only way to choose was to meet them for himself. 

\--

Okay so - 

In his defense, Ben was running on two days of no sleep and was currently still processing the effects of a love potion he’d imbibed a couple days previously. It was a slim defense, but Ben was clinging to it, never mind the fact that love potions had ceased to properly affect him around a year ago. 

(He’d started innuring his body to various substances from a young age, after a particularly...ambitious...princess had slipped a love potion into some cupcakes she’d made. Chad had eaten one by accident, and Ben treasured the memory of his former best friend refusing to stop hugging him as the red-faced and sobbing princess was politely forbidden from ever returning to Auradon Castle.)

Anyways. Not the point. The point was, Ben had definitely had a reasonable defense for the insane series of thoughts and then actions that had led him here. Here, which was the northwestern entrance of the Isle. 

Getting in had been...shockingly easy. He supposed the intention was to keep people from getting out, as opposed to in, but still. All he’d needed to do was flash a piece of paper with the crown insignia and they’d let him through, no questions asked. They hadn’t even bothered to ask him to take off his hood, which was kind of disappointing, because Ben had put a lot of effort into his disguise. Ben made a mental note to encourage more strict training protocols before realizing that it was the lax behaviour of the guards that had allowed his silent entry into the isle. 

The Isle. The Isle of the lost. Which was sure where Ben was right now. 

He’d been so focused on getting in that he hadn’t quite planned what to do when he actually got here. 

The part of the city he was in seemed to be relatively deserted. Ben made his way quickly and easily through a series of covered tunnels. The stench of fish permeated everything here, ropes and corded nets suggesting he was near some kind of dock. The few figures he did pass kept their heads down, shying away and moving quickly into darkened corridors. Ben did the same, blending in as much as possible. He’d underestimated exactly how much leather the people of this island seemed to wear. 

The nets and fishing line made way to what looked to be some kind of central plaza. Or at least Ben assumed so, judging by a series of rickety stalls. He paused for a second, assessing the closed shutters, the tattered hangings that formed a makeshift ceiling, the debris drifting around his feet. 

Huh. 

He had absolutely no idea where he was. 

In the back of his mind, Ben was starting to feel like he’d maybe made a little bit of a mistake. 

He didn’t know what he’d expected. What, that all the villains would just be walking around? It was three in the goddamn morning, they were probably asleep. 

A scattering noise caught his attention, the sound of metal clanging against rock. Ben crept forward, his hand resting on the dagger he’d brought along, just in case. The noise had originated from a dark alleyway. Someone had toppled over a trash bin and was currently rifling through the contents. The figure was small and hunched over. Only a child. 

Ben’s stomach lurched at the realization. The kid looked to be about seven years old, their body skinny beneath oversized clothing. Ben cleared his throat, and the kid startled backwards, turning to run. 

“Wait!” Ben whispered, holding a hand out, “I’m not going to hurt you. I’ve got some bread, would you like some?” 

The child stopped and turned slowly. In the dim light Ben couldn’t read their expression, couldn’t make out any facial features. 

“Look, I’m going to reach inside of my cloak, and give you some food” 

Telegraphing his movements, he reached for where he kept his small package of dwarvish tack bread. Densely packed with nuts and raisins, it was his go to snack in a crunch. He always made sure to keep some on his person in case he couldn’t make it to lunch. He was glad habit had made him reach for it when he’d dressed for this outing. 

He stretched out his hand, and the kid flinched backwards. 

“Okay! Okay” Ben crouched down, leaving the wrapped parcel on the ground and stepped back. “See, I’m just going to leave it there”

“No tricks?” The kid spoke, their eyes fixed to the bread. 

“No tricks,” Ben said, “I promise”

The kid shifted forward a bit, just barely coming into the light. Ben caught a flash of wide brown eyes and a face smeared with dirt as the kid snatched the bread up. In a flash, they vaulted up the side of the wall, scrabbled their way over the top of the wall and disappeared. 

Okay then. 

Ben was just relieved the kid had taken the bread. He wasn’t entirely sure what the state of the supply chain was like here, but it was an unfortunate reality even in Auradon that the guards that patrolled couldn’t - or weren’t - interested in parceling out fair share. Corruption was something he was working to control, but much like change, it was slow going without any help. 

Something that felt suspiciously like anger sat like a lump in the back of his throat. Ben swallowed it down, years of practice allowing for an easy return to equilibrium. Anger was the enemy. Patience and focus. 

“Well now, wasn’t that touching” A voice crooned in his ear, thick and deep with an accent Ben couldn’t place. 

Ben whirled around, a second too late. The sharp prick of a dagger against his throat brought him up short. 

“Ah, ah, ah” The wielder of the blade said slowly, amusement curling around each admonishment. “No sudden movements now handsome. We wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself, now would we?”  
There were two of them, both backlit by the light of the plaza and features obscured by shadow. The knife tilted up, forcing Ben’s chin higher. He could feel his cloak drop away, exposing his face to the assailants. All he could make out was a set of glittering eyes, thick kohl smudged around them. His heart pounded faster. 

“Oh, he is handsome!” The other boy exclaimed, his light tone incongruous. He’d circled behind to block Ben’s only point of exit. Ben startled as his warm chest sandwiched up against Ben’s back. This close he could make out the smell of seawater and sweat. His pulse jumped in his neck, hammering against the steel. It didn’t help that from what he could make of his assailants, they were both very attractive. Ben really wished that wasn’t his main point of priority. He couldn’t help that it was the most he’d been touched in - in a very long time. 

“Uh, thanks” Ben’s attention returned to the knife as his attacker pressed in a little deeper.Now that he couldn’t eyeball the boy behind, the feeling of powerlessness grew. Distantly Ben could appreciate the effective job of intimidation happening. 

“Eyes on me sweetheart,” Crooner said, “You look familiar - have I seen you around before?”

Ben really, really hoped his disguise would hold. He’d taken every effort to disguise his facial features, even though he doubted his image would be widely known on the Isle. He’d donned the costume he wore to blend in with the locals of Auradon’s capital. Contacts and wash out henna dye disguised his eyes and turned his brown hair into an auburn shade. He was wearing a pair of thick rimmed black glasses to further obscure his cheekbones. What helped the most was the large birthmark he’d painted on underneath his left eye that curled towards his ear. Most people tended to get stuck on it and skip their gaze over the rest of his facial features. 

“Um, no, no I don’t think so”

“You sure about that? Because I don’t forget faces easily.”

“I’m sure, please. I’m not usually allowed out” Ben managed as the arms around him tightened. Whatever story he’d planned on the way over had flown out of his brain. He didn’t know who these people were - what if he claimed to be the son of someone they knew? 

“Not allowed eh? Daddy and Mommy keeping their baby boy safe at home? Is that why you have the street smarts of a flounder?”

“I - please.” Ben whispered. “I didn’t mean any harm, I just wanted to help the kid. If I intruded on your turf, I’m sorry.”

“That was super nice of you” Muscles - the boy behind him - said. “I mean, you shouldn’t be nice but it was nice anyways.”

“Oh Jesus, I don’t think you’re lying,” Crooner muttered. “what am I supposed to do with two of you?”

To Ben’s surprise the pressure of the knife was lifted. Decision not to kill Ben apparently made, Muscles stepped away as well, leaving Ben shivering against the stone wall he’d been backed into. 

“Alright then, let’s try this again,” Crooner said, nonchalantly beginning to spin the knife. “What’s your name?”

“Flo.” The name tripped off his tongue easily. Ben was long practiced at the pseudonym. 

Muscles snickered, “that’s a funny name.”

“Like you’re one to talk, Gil,” Crooner said pointedly. “Flo, huh? Who are your parents?”

Ben raised his chin stubbornly. “I can’t tell you.”

“Alright then, Flo,” Crooner sneered, “Here’s lesson number one. When people ask you where you’re from, it’s important to be polite. Because if you aren’t polite, I just might assume you’re an enemy.”

“And you don’t want to be his enemy.” Muscles - Gil, apparently - chimed in supportively. 

“I promise, I’m not anyone’s enemy. And I don’t want any trouble. I just can’t tell you who my mom is.”

“A little parental rebellion eh?” Crooner grinned. “I know a little something about that.”

“Let’s take him back to Uma,” Gil suggested, “she’ll know what to do.”

“Yeah, Uma’ll appreciate knowing what kind of rats we got scurrying around. Come on handsome, up you get.” 

“Wait, please!” Ben exclaimed, stopping the two boys. “I can’t - I have to go home. If I don’t…” He trailed off, hoping they’d fill the blanks in for him. He wasn’t really lying. If he wasn’t home by the time the sun rose and Lumiere started the day, there would be royal hell to pay. 

Apparently the other two bought the real panic in his eyes. Banked fury in Crooner’s eyes and understanding sympathy in Gil’s. Ben didn’t know what assumptions they were making, but he was willing to bet it wasn’t good. 

“Aw, come on Harry” Gil said eventually, “Let’s just let him go.” 

“You were the one who wanted to bring him back to Uma in the first place!”

“Yeah, but look at him. Even Smee could take him in a fight.” 

Okay, ouch. Ben huddled further against the wall and tried to broadcast more of whatever he was doing. 

“You’re too soft for your own good,” Crooner sniped, cuffing Gil on the back of the head. His arm draped across his friends back. “I tell you what, we’ll make a deal.”

“A deal?” 

Ben flinched as a hand came towards his face, gripping around his glasses and pulling them off. He blinked rapidly. Okay, so wearing his actual prescription glasses hadn’t been his finest move. The world blurred around him. 

Black plastic dangled in front of his face as Crooner leaned down. This close, Ben could finally make out the color of his eyes. They were a deep, brilliant blue. 

“Here’s the deal. You meet us here tomorrow at midnight, you get your glasses back. If not, you know how expensive these are to replace. You won’t want mommy dearest finding out, now would you?”

“Uh - no?”

“Smart little bunny,” A rough hand patted his cheek. “It’s a date then. See you tomorrow”

“Bye Flo!! See you tomorrow!” Gil called out cheerfully. “Good luck getting home!”

And then the two of them were gone, leaving Ben breathless, slightly blind and very very confused as to what had just happened. 

He pulled himself up the wall, stepping shakily towards the light of the plaza. Shit, this was going to take forever. He just hoped he’d be able to rely on his memory for the way back to the checkpoint. He drew the hood over his face again and stepped gingerly forward. 

It would be a long journey home.


	2. What's your name?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben returns to the Isle, has a run in with a pirate captain and lives to tell the tale.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! Thanks so much for the warm reception to this fic. I'm very excited to see where it goes. If there's anything that seems triggering, please let me know. I'll do my best to provide a list of warnings before every chapter if I feel they apply. 
> 
> Slight mentions of a wound, assumptions of canon-typical parental abuse

The early morning was traditionally reserved for Ben only. It was a scant hour he squirreled away for himself, taking the time to read or, on most mornings, simply drink tea and watch the sunrise over his kingdom. Was it an old man’s hobby? Yes. Did he cling to it like a drowning lemming on the days when being a crown prince threatened to drag him under? 

...Yes. 

Mornings were not supposed to be Ben stumbling into his room after a night of blindly navigating the Isle, trusting only his memory and flinching at any sound. 

He was currently using it to frantically scrub any trace of the Isle off of him before Lumiere, Cogsworth or - god forbid - his mother knocked on his door. He would fold like the mamas boy he was if she caught him washing hair dye down the sink again. There was cautious approval for his hidden excursions into town, but his mom was whip smart. She’d ask where his glasses were and then he’d have to tell her that the hottest (he assumed, based off his piercing gaze) pirate he’d ever met had stolen them and then she’d ask where he’d met said fine piece of booty and then it would be a whole thing. So. 

Ben shivered at the memory of unyielding steel tipping his chin up. He’d never felt like that before. It had been years since the last time Ben hadn’t been in charge of the room. He’d felt...clumsy, tongue-tied. Out of control. 

Ben turned the shower water down a notch. 

The pair had given him until tomorrow to collect his glasses. Ben could afford to lose a pair of glasses. It would be sheer idiocy to go back there, regardless of how little information he’d accrued on the first trip. He’d been lucky that Crooner and Gil had been happy to let him go with a little show of violence and thievery. Yeah, there was no way Ben was going back. 

\---

A little past midnight found Ben contemplating sending in an application to Dumbo’s circus. It turned out he was a fool wearing clown shoes. 

Midnight had come and gone, and the marketplace was empty except for a couple of vagrants giving him a wary eye. None of them had held eye contact, shuffling past with their head down. Ben had been waiting here for nearly twenty minutes, and the more time passed the more his nerves grew. Either the duo just wasn’t coming, or they wanted him on edge when they did arrive. 

It was an efficient tactic to keep people waiting. Ben had used it on a number of occasions and was finding he didn’t appreciate being on the other end of it. 

_ To hell with it.  _ If they weren’t coming then Ben had other things to attend to. Sleeping, for one. 

God, he’d been so foolish to think that they’d actually be coming back. They were probably laughing it up, thinking about him waiting blindly for them. Well, he’d worn contacts this time around, but the point still stood. Ben sighed deeply and stood, brushing dirt off his trousers. 

“And where do you think you’re going?”

A heavy hand landed on his shoulder, startling a small high-pitched noise Ben would forever deny came from his mouth. He whirled around to meet Crooner’s smirking face. 

Oh no, he  _ was _ hot. 

Ben realized belatedly that he was clutching a hand to his chest the way Cogsworth sometimes clutched his pearls when Lumiere was particularly forward. Crooner’s gaze flicked over Ben’s face, taking in the quickly growing flush. Ben tried to lower his hand without feeling incredibly awkward, but he wasn’t Aubrey, who seemed to have the near magical ability to make whatever she was doing look planned and effortless. 

“I think I just found a little bunny trying to hop on home” Crooner grinned, something pleased tucked away into the corner of his mouth. “Dangerous, considering you never know what’s waiting out there”

“Well I mean, it wouldn’t be wolves, because there aren’t any on the Isle,” Gil said happily as he came up next to Crooner. “And if there were, dad would have killed them all. Hi Flo! Sorry we’re late.”

The larger boy didn’t seem to see or care about the look of killing intent that Crooner shot him. Ben gave a weak little wave, prompting Crooner to let go of him. Both crowded him up against the wall, forcing Ben to tilt his head up once again. He was starting to think neither of them had ever heard of personal space. 

“Uh, no problem Gil. It’s nice to see you again” Ben said, smiling politely. 

“You’re weird,” Gil wrinkled his nose as he looked Ben up and down. “No one ever thinks it’s nice to see me.”

“Well I do” Ben said firmly, “even if you did steal my glasses.”

Gil’s face cleared as a large smile spread over his face. “I like it. It’s nice!” 

“Yeah, the little bunny is nice all right,” Crooner rolled his eyes. “Sweet and soft and nice to  _ eat _ ” He snapped his teeth at Ben, narrowly coming close to nipping Ben’s jaw. 

Ben didn’t flinch - he may have come to the Isle tonight, but that didn’t mean he was going to fall for every intimidation tactic Crooner tried. He held Crooner’s gaze steadily, ignoring the way his heart thumped wildly in his chest. 

“Ohhhhh, little bunny’s got some backbone huh?” Crooner grinned wildly. “Well bad news, the captain’s got your glasses and she wants to parlay with you”

“The captain?”

“Yeah! Uma,” Gil said proudly, “She’s great. Harry told her about what you did and she wants to meet you.”

“Because you’re intruding on the Lost Revenge’s territory” Crooner - apparently named Harry - hissed, an ugly flush rising up his neck “ _ not  _ because of your pitiful charity”

Uma. Harry. Gil. 

The names were ringing a vague bell in the back of Ben’s mind. He’d seen these names in his reports before, but who were they? 

“Yeah! Anyways, we’re bringing you to the Lost Revenge so Uma can meet you there after her shift.” Gil chirped, pulling Ben away from the wall and slinging a friendly arm over his shoulder. Ben stumbled as he went, only Harry’s grip on the front of his shirt preventing him from falling flat onto his face. 

As if surprised by his own kindness, Harry immediately let go, stalking off into the alleyway with a huff. 

Gil chattered happily as he walked, regaling Ben with stories of Uma’s bravery and beauty. It was interspersed with concerning mentions of being exiled from the shop, but it didn’t seem to slow Gil down any. Every once in a while Harry would interrupt with a snarl, redirecting Gil’s commentary away from sensitive information. 

For his part, Ben’s attention was divided three ways. The first was on the Isle. They were leading him through a series of pathways that seemed to duck under and around most of the major living areas. The air was beginning to take on a saltier flavor and the smell of fish was becoming more prominent. The people here seemed more reclusive than those in the market, drawing back as the trio made their way forward. Ben caught sight of both pitying looks and jeers as he walked on, keeping his head down to prevent anyone from seeing too much of him. 

Secondly, he was recording everything Gil rambled about, accruing a sketchy vision of the crew and how they ran. The boy himself was like no one Ben had ever met before - sunshine poured into a person. Gil kept a permanent smile on his face, one that seemed genuinely warm, especially when he informed Ben of Harry and Uma’s prowess. It seemed that even in the Isle there were beautiful and precious things, and Ben was unashamed of how quickly he counted Gil’s smile on that list. Ben couldn't remember the last time someone had smiled at him and meant it, without wanting something in return. Did Harry know how lucky he was? 

Thirdly, Ben was struggling to keep the flush on his cheeks under control. Being pushed up the wall had been bad rough, but this was the most sustained contact he’d had with another human being in years. Ben knew to a certain extent that he was touch-starved, but it was one thing to know and another to come directly up against it. The weight of Gil’s arm was grounding against his shoulders, and Ben caught himself wishing he could feel the warmth of his skin. Gil looked like he gave excellent hugs. The small animal hindbrain part of Ben’s brain was nearly purring with the contact, aware of the fact that Gil’s sheer height and bulk dwarfed Ben, promising safety. 

_ Annnnnnddd _ Ben was shutting down that train of thought immediately. He’d survived for years with little contact, this was frankly an embarrassing loss of control. 

The alleyway in front of them cleared out into a small open area of dock. In front of them sat a small shop labelled Ursula’s Fish and Chips. A little beyond that sat a pirate ship, in a state of what could kindly be called disrepair. 

“Now what have you got there Hook?” A voice rang out. It belonged to another pirate lounging outside the shop entrance. “Looks like a tasty morsel.” 

“Captain’s business,” Harry shot back without slowing down. The other pirate gave a slow up and down, grinning lecherously at Ben as he was hustled past. 

“When you get tired of him, throw him our way!” The pirate laughed, slashing his knife in the air. “Been a while since I roughed up a face as pretty as that one” 

“Don’t worry” Gil whispered as he led Ben up the rickety plank to the boat, “Captain probably won’t let Kidds have you. She doesn’t like him very much”

Ben nodded tightly. He was very aware of the knife strapped to his chest. If worse came to worst he’d have surprise on his side, and he had the advantage of being near the check in point for the Isle. Regardless, he was starting to think that he’d made a huge mistake just following these two into their base. 

There were several other pirates milling about, eyeballing the trio as they headed to a large wooden door that looked to go down into the belly of the ship. A tiny slip of a woman sharpening a knife looked up with disinterest as they boarded. 

“Captain’s in her quarters” She offered. 

“Thanks Desiree!” Gil chirped, throwing open a large wooden door. A small flight of stairs appeared and Ben let himself be ushered down them. Inside, the signs of disrepair were more apparent, deep scores from blades scoring the wooden walls. Ragged fabric lined the ceiling and debris was packed up in the corners. 

The largest and most ornate door was slightly ajar, lit with what looked to be magical firelamps. Harry knocked gently against the door with his hook. 

“Who is it?” A voice responded. 

“It’s Harry, Captain.”

“Come in,” She responded, and Harry swung the door open. 

Ben swallowed when he saw her. In the low light, she looked like she could pass as one of the mermaids from Queen Ariel’s former pod. It wasn’t until she stood and came into the foreground that Ben saw the deep pool of wariness in her eyes, the lines of exhaustion and pain that lined her face. There was an already bloodied bandage clumsily wrapped around her torso, and she moved with obvious stiffness. 

Harry and Gil clocked the injury at the same time, reacting quickly and rushing into the room, leaving Ben out in the hallway. 

“Uma!” Gil exclaimed, “Are you alright?”

“That’s captain to you” She snapped, although she let him steady her. “And I’m fine. Got ambushed by some of Frollo’s goons. Retaliation for expanding our territory” 

Harry let out a series of inventive curses “I’ll slit their throats where they stand”

“Oh trust me, they aren’t standing any longer” Uma responded drily. 

Harry grinned viciously “That’s my girl” 

“Are you sure you don’t need any help?” Gil asked anxiously. “That looks really bad”

“Worse than it looks” Uma said in what seemed to be an obvious lie. Even just the minor movement had caused fresh blood to seep through the bandages, and there was a small pile of red cloth lying by a large wooden bathtub in the center of the room. 

“I can help you” Ben blurted out, causing all three heads to snap towards him. Uma cursed violently, throwing off Gil’s support and striding forward. She threw Ben into the room and slammed the door. He banged into the side of the bathtub and went down with a yelp, sprawling out onto the floor in a vision of athleticism that would cause his coach to cry. 

“Who the hell is this? Why didn’t you inform me you’d brought someone, you dolt?” 

A foot pressed against his chest as Uma rested the tip of a very sharp sword against his chest. 

“Sorry Uma!” 

“If I have to remind you one more time, I’m kicking off the boat again” Uma growled, “What’s my name?”

“Captain,” Harry responded, kicking Gil in the side of the leg. “We’re sorry we didn’t inform you sooner.”

“So you’re the little bunny my first mate was telling me about” Uma drawled, unimpressed. Ben winced as the point of the blade drove in further, cutting through layers of fabric and nicking the skin. “See, here’s the thing. I don’t know a Flo, and no one I talk to knows one either. Which either means you’re  _ lying”  _ the blade went deeper “or something else. You’re here so I can see if the something else is good enough”

“Please, I can help you,” Ben choked out. From this angle he could see the outlines of the wound, and how dirty her bandages were. 

“ _ Help  _ me?” Uma laughed, “I don’t need any help from you. All I want are answers. Who are you working for? Mal? Harriet? Clay?” 

“I don’t know who those people are!” Ben exclaimed, “My mother doesn’t let me out of the house. If she knew I was here she’d kill me herself. Please, I’m telling the truth. Last night was the first night I’ve ever been out, I didn’t know I was intruding on your territory”

Silence reigned in the cabin. 

“I also did some asking around,” Harry offered after a moment. “No one had any information. Not even that little brat who works at Tremaine’s”

“And she knows everyone” Uma finished softly. “Fine. Let’s say I believe you then. Now why should I let you live? If you’re as soft as I suspect you are, then it would almost be a mercy to kill you now”

Moving quickly, Ben flipped sideways. Uma’s blade scored across his chest as he rolled, redistributing his weight so he could flip upwards. Using his momentum he swung her around, easily disarming her and pushing her away. Angry and concerned shouts filled the room as Harry and Gil drew their swords as well. Ben didn’t stop, pressing his advantage and disarming the other two with a blur of steel. 

“Don’t assume I’m soft, just because I don’t have a crew” Ben said, panting heavily. He was keenly aware of his shirt hanging open, revealing not only the deep gash but other, faded scars from past training. He clutched the remnants of his clothing together, vainly trying to ignore the way all three flicked their eyes downwards at the gesture. 

Harry looked feral and ready to pounce at a moment's notice, regardless of weaponry. Gil looked unhappy and concerned, his head turning between Uma and Ben. 

Uma, for her part, was unreadable. 

“I just wanted my glasses back,” Ben said, “not to cause any trouble. You won’t see me on your territory again, I promise”

Harry shifted at that, opening his mouth before Uma cast him a sharp look. 

“What’s stopping you from skewering us right here?” She asked softly. “It’s a good deal. You’d get control of the docks and the Wharf Rats”

Ben shook his head. “I’m not interested in anything like that, just surviving” 

“Power is survival,” she countered, lifting her head proudly “go on then” 

Ben flipped the swords around, offering the handles to Uma. The action made all three pirates still. Wide eyes and shocked faces revealed how young they truly were. If Ben ignored the malnourishment, they were around his age. Fifteen, and ready to die in a petty power struggle. 

“You’re the captain, not me.” Ben said softly. 

“Who do you think you are, a prince?” Harry drawled, snatching his sword out of Ben’s hands and immediately pointing it at him again. “How noble of you” 

“I told you he was a good person!” Gil exclaimed happily, making no move to regain his weapon.

“And that’s a bad thing” Uma reminded him, causing the blonde to shrink back into himself. “You’re not going to survive a week out there with that sort of idiotic kindness. You wouldn’t have won this fight if I weren’t injured”

“I don’t doubt it. In a show of good faith, I’ll treat your wounds and be on my way.” Ben offered. Her eyes narrowed. 

“Fine. Let’s see what you can do.” 

“Captain!” Gil and Harry said together, one pleased and the other angry. 

“Shut it you two. Harry, keep an eye on him and make sure there’s no funny business.”

Uma began unwrapping her bandages, revealing three gashes in the side of her torso. It looked like they were whip marks, based on the way they cross each other. Ben refused to look rattled at the sight. It wasn’t any worse than he or the other princes had gotten in swords training. 

“I’ll need some warm water, clean rags and some alcohol, if you have any?” 

“Gil, get him what he needs,” Uma ordered. Gil nodded and rushed out of the room, reciting the list under his breath. Ben put Gil’s sword down on the cabinet and approached where Uma had sat on the small bed pushed up against the corner, very aware of Harry’s eyes on him. 

Nothing was said until Gil returned with the items requested, including a half-full bottle of something that made Ben’s eyes water. 

“I’m sorry if this hurts.” He said, and began to wash out her wounds. Uma weathered it without comment, revealing nothing more than a single flinch when he flushed out some of the dirt with alcohol. He bound the wound quickly and methodically, falling into the easy headspace of helping. It reminded him of simpler times, in an odd way.

“Where’d you learn to do that?” Harry asked from behind him, spooking Ben as he rolled up the bandages he hadn’t used.

“I taught myself,” Growing up he, Audrey and Chad had always gotten into scrapes, and he couldn’t count the number of times he’d patched them up. He’d learned out of necessity - if the royal doctors had found out there would have been no more adventures. Then, when he was older, it served him in good stead on the number of times he’d slipped out into the citadel of Auradon. His alter ego had established a bit of a reputation for himself as a medic, but Ben didn’t mind patching up the injuries the children accumulated. It soothed something in him - most of the time the hurts he was trying to fix were so big and unfathomable he went to bed knowing that they wouldn’t be healed in his lifetime. Healing others was steady, and real. 

“I’d bet, if your mom gave you those scars,” Gil said. 

Ben blinked, not processing for a moment. Oh, they thought his parents had given him his training scars. That made sense, given how easily they’d filled in the blanks about his non-existent mom. It made something spiky and vile rise up in his throat, that the first thing they’d jump to was that kind of abuse. The thought that that kind of thing was so common it was  _ expected?  _ Ben’s head swam as fury clawed at his stomach. 

_ That’s what I’m here to fix _ . He breathed out deeply and schooled his features again. Opening his eyes, he realized Uma had been watching him the whole time, her eyes glittering as she watched him quietly. Ben turned his head away, ashamed. 

The shattered window caught his eye. It looked like the sky was beginning to lighten. 

“I need to go,” Ben stood. “Can I have my glasses, please?”

In the corner of his eye he caught Gil mouthing  _ please  _ to himself. Harry reached into a desk drawer and pulled out the chunky frames, tossing them carelessly. Ben fumbled the catch and dropped to grab them, stopping when a black boot came down on the glasses. 

“You know boys” Uma mused, tapping her foot on his fingers. “It seems to me like we could use a medic. After all, I can’t think of any other crew that has someone like that”

“I mean, no, there aren’t really doctors here” Gil frowned, “but shouldn’t you give Flo his glasses back?”

“And it seems like letting you scamper off back into whatever hole you escaped from would be a waste” Uma continued, ignoring Gil’s contributions easily “so, what’s stopping me from claiming you right now?”

“Claiming me?” Ben tilted his head. There was a sharp bark of laughter from where Harry stood. 

“That’s a great idea!” Gil bounced in place, “you’re the smartest, Uma!”

In a graceful move, Uma kicked Ben’s glasses up into her hands. 

“Here’s your first Isle lesson, bunny” Harry gripped his hand into Ben’s hair and pulled his face up. “When someone claims you, you belong to them.”

Uma slid Ben’s glasses onto his face. Ben blinked at her. It was the first time he’d seen her smile, and it transformed her entirely. 

“Welcome to the crew Flo. You’re one of mine now” 

_ Oh.  _

\--

  
  


Yet another morning saw Ben stumbling into his room with scant minutes to spare. The pirate trio had waved - well, Gil waved, Harry mostly growled and Uma looked disinterested - him away as he slipped away into the city, having promised that he’d return as soon as he could. 

It wasn’t until he was safely inside his room that the danger of the night hit him, forcing him to his knees in relief. 

Ben took a deep, steadying breath and buried his head in his hands.

_ What the hell did he think he was doing?  _

He didn’t have time for this. Class was going to begin in a couple hours, and he had meetings he needed to attend before them. He slapped his cheeks decisively, shoved his panic down and rose out of his crouch. Easy enough to put away the evidence of Flo and put Ben back on. Crisply pressed slacks, inoffensive button down, fancy watch. 

Crown Prince Ben of Auradon smiled at him in the mirror. It didn’t reach his eyes. Ben tried again, and again, until it was approaching genuine and not panic-stricken. Just in time for Cogsworth to knock on his door, detailing the first of his many meetings. 

  
_ Time to get to work,  _ he thought grimly, before he affixed the smile back and his face and went to answer the door. 


End file.
